Apparatus for filling cohtaihers



E i. YAHLE. APPARATUS FOR FILLING CONTAINERS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26. I917- Patented June 3, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET E. I. YAHLE.

APPARATUS FOR FILLING CONTAINERS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26. 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Patented June 3, 1919.

EARL I. YAHLE, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR FILLING CONTAINERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 3, 1919.

Application filed November 26, 1917. Serial No. 203,931.

useful Improvements in Apparatus for.

Filling Containers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improved apparatus for use in filling containers.

According to the present invention, materials in powdered form, such as talcum powder, soap powder, cocoa and so forth, are introduced directly into the container.

A number of factors enter into and modify the operation'of filling containers with materials such as are referred to above, as, for example, the size of the container and of its opening, its height and shape, the character of the material being introduced, the time of filling and the pressure or force with which the material is introduced into the container, etc. With containers of uniform construction and with any given material, however, much the most completely controlling factor among the foregoing is the pressure or force with which the material is introduced into the container. I have devised novel means for exerting pressure or force upon the material to introduce it into the container, and the means provided therefor are readily and simply adjustable so that the degree of force or pressure maybe readily adjusted and controlled in such manner that the quantity of the material desired to be put in the containers may be placed therein with substantial certainty and precision so that the containers, being preferably entirely filled with material under a given pressure, contain a substantially uniform quantity of material.

Where the containers into which the material is being introduced travel intermittently or in involved paths of travel during .the' time the container is being filled, there is a-substantially low limit to the speed of travel and to the output in filled containers.

According to the present invention. the containers travel continuously and uninterruptedly while the material with which they are being filled is being introduced, and travel in such simple form of path that rapid travel maybe secured and al large number of containers may be filled in the' machine in a minimum of time andan extremely high output of properly filled containers may be secured.

In the construction shown in the drawings accompanying this specification, the path of travel of the containers is in a straight line, WlllCh is the simplest form of path which could be traveled thereby and rapid and efficient and substantially uniform filling be obtained, but it is to be understood that the containers could be traveled in paths other than a straight line path so long as the conditions above referred to are satisfied.

With the foregoing and related objects in view my invention consists in the improvements, parts, constructions and combinations hereinafter pointed out and shown in the accompanying drawings.

In said drawings, which form a part of this specification and wherein the same reference numerals are applied uniformly to designate the same parts throughout, Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section, of one form of filling machine embodying my invention. Fi 2 is a transverse sectional view taken siiistantially on line 2-2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the hopper and the preferred form of pressure device. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail view of the pressure device looking at right angles in the direction in which viewed in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective detail view of a conveyer for the containers, and Fig. 6 is a similar view of a traveling apron which forms part of the bottom for the hopper and also cooperates with the tops of the containers being filled.

Reference numeral 10 is applied to designate the hopper for supplying material to be introduced into the containers. The hopper 10 is here shown as substantially a rectangular box-like structure, but it may be of variopening or openings are provided in the bottom of the hopper. In'the foi m shown the elongated narrow slot 11 is formed therein near one side and extends substantially the entire length of the hopper, but the opening may be of other forms, and instead of single be a plurality of openopenings there may which may be of ings. The containers v12,

various forms, are here shown cylindrical in form and of a height somewhat greater than ing the form of pins or rods 15, 15, secured preferably to alternate ones of the conveyer cross-bars 16, 16, which are connected by belt links 17, 17 and form a simple form of conveyer, the link belt 18 comprising links 17 running on the sprockets 19, 19. As shown, one such sprocket is arranged at each end of the conveyer and they are suitably journaled on the supporting posts 20, 20 of the machine frame work, but there may be additional sprockets provided, if desired, and they may be otherwise supported.

Means are provided for supporting this conveyer, which is indicated generally by the reference numeral 14, and the containers carried thereby, to prevent sag of the conveyer and consequent lowering of the containers in the space or region immediately beneath or adjacent to the hopper 10. In the form shown the longitudinal frame work members 22 have downwardly extending preferably metallic bars or plates 23 secured thereto and the same preferably project inwardly with respect to the frame members 20, as shown best in Fig. 2, and runways or guide pieces 24, 24 for the conveyer crossbars 16 are supported from the plates 23, 23 in such manner that said members 24, 24 are resiliently thrust upwardly toward the hopper 10, the arrangement resorted to in the form shown comprising supporting rods 25 and springs 26 coiled about the rods 25 and interposed between the plates 23 and collars 27 on the rods 25, said rods 25 being screwed or otherwise secured in the members 24 and being longitudinally movable in openings provided therefor in the plate 23 and being provided also, at their lower ends, with means to limit the upward extension of the members 24 with respect to the plates 23, such limiting means in the form shown having the form of nuts 28 screwed on the lower ends of the rods 25. The guide members or runways 24 are preferably loosely confined between the frame members 22 and the stationary straps or bars 24 suitably secured to. the frame work so-that the runways or supporting members 24 may have upward and downward play between such plates or bars 24 and the frame members 20. The collars 27 are adjustableon the rods 25 whereby the resilient upward thrust of the springs 26 on the guide members 24 may be regulated as may be desired.

A flexible belt or apron provided with openings to register with the top ends of the containers, is provided to serve as what may be considered as a movable bottom for that portion of the hopper 10 adjacent to and including the opening or openings 11 therein. In the form shown such belt or apron, which is indicated by the reference numeral 29, has openings 30 therein and is supported between link belts 31, 31 by being secured, as by means of rivets 32, to cross members 33 which are attached at their ends to the link belts 31, 31 at intervals throughout the length thereof. lVithin the openings 30, 30 in the belt or apron 29, cover, plates 34 for the containers 12, 12, are placed, and with cylindrical containers these are of substantially circular form and are provided with central openings 35 and with downwardly extending flanges 36, the openings within the flanges 36 being sufficiently large to receive the tops of the containers therein. The cover plates 34 are preferably secured to the cross members 33 at each end thereof, and in the form shown they are provided with projecting lugs 37, 37 which are secured to the cross members 33 by rivets 38.

Means are provided for moving the belt or apron 29 in unison with the can conveyer 14, and in the form shown the cover plate conveyer comprising the belt 29 and link belts 31, 31, and indicated generally by the reference numeral 39, is carried on a series of sprocket wheels 40, 40 arranged in pairs,

there being four such pairs in the construction shown, and the conveyer 39 for the cover plates passing, substantially around the hopper 10 at one side thereof, and the conveyers 14 and 39 are moved in synchronism by any suitable connecting means, such as a sprocket chain 41 running on sprockets 42 and 43 and secured respectively to the shaft 44 of a pair of sprocket wheels 40 and the lay shaft 45 having a gear 45 thereon meshing with a gear 45 on the shaft 19' of one of the sprocket wheels 19. The means 1 for applying the driving power to the conveyers are not shown and may be of any character, as will be understood.

Means are provided for forcing or pressing the material in the hopper 10, which is arms 47 to a rotating shaft 48, which shaft may be rotated in any suitable manner as by the gear 49 thereon meshing with a worm 50 on the shaft 44. The blades or paddles 46 are preferably arranged at intervals along the shaft 48 and may extend from said shaft at an angle to one another, when viewed from the end of said shaft, which is substantially the quadrant of. a circle, best shown in Fig. 3. In the form hereshown the means/for adjusting such pressure means is adapted to turn the arms 47 carrying the blades 46 rotatively on their longitudinal axes so as that the region of contact between the blades 46 and the material in the hopper 10 may be decreased or increased in width as the arms 47 and the blades 46 thereon are turned axially. In the. form shown in the drawings the arms ,47 are turned to present the entire width ;of the blades 46 as in contact with the material in the hopper 10 as the shaft 48 is rotated,

but they may be turned to any intermediate position between that shown and theposition at right angles thereto in wh ch the blades are turned edgewise, and exert a minimum-of force or pressure upon the material in the hopper 10 as they are rotated with the shaft 48. Mount'edfor rotation in the bore 51 of the shaft 48-.i's a Worm or screw 52 for ti rning the arms 47 and blades 46 carried thereby in the manner described, said worm of screw 52 meshing with worm wheel, 5 ur gears 53, or the like upon the arms which are mounted for rotation in bearings 54 within the shaft 48, as is clearly shown in: Figs. 3 and 4.

Means for rotating the wormor screw 52 are provided, and in the form shown the same has the form of a hand wheel 55,,which normally' rotates with the shaft 48 but may be manually turned with respect tb such shaft 48 when width adjustment of the pressure blades is desiredto be obtained to regulate the degree offorce or pressure upon the material being introduced into the containers. The path of travel of the pressure blades 46 is such asto press the material in the hopper 10 toward the opening or openings 11 in the bottom thereof and through which it must pass in order to enter the con-' tainers. In the form shown the shaft 48 is placed somewhat to one side of the opening 11 and parallel therewith, and the blades or paddles 46, which travel in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 3, when they come opposite the opening 11, areinoving downwardly toward said opening whereby the material-encountered thereby is forced or thrust toward and through the opening 11 and through the openings 35 in the cover plates 34 and into the containers 12 through their open tops 13 with which the openings 35 are in register. These blades 46 also serve to keep the material agitated and in 'on the top of the containers 12.

motion so that air escaping from the containers may readily pass up therethrough. In some cases, as where the material to be introduced into'the container is of such free .flowing character that it will flow readily tween the pins 15,15 of the conveyer 14, be-

ing preferably introduced at or toward the end of the conveyer run where the pins 15,

l5 diverge somewhat as that portion of the conveyer goes over or leaves a sprocket 19 at the end of the conveyer, or they may be introduced in place between the pins 15 at any part of the run of the conveyer 14 before the same reaches the hopper 10 or the belt 29. In the construction illustrated in Fig.1 the conveyer 14 is shown considerably shorter than the preferred length, but it will, of course, be understood that such conveyer may be of any length, the short conveyer shown being chosen for'convenience of illustration. As the containers 12 in their places between the pins 15 on the conveyer 14- approach the hopper 10, they are covered by the cover plates 34, the two belts 39 and 14 being operated in unison, as has been explained. The belt or apron 29 is supported in contact with the bottom of the hopper 10 through the upward thrust imparted by the springs: 26 to the runways or guide members 24, the cross members 16, 16 ofthe conveyer 14 running thereon, the containers 12, 12 which rest on the cross members 16, 16 and the cover plates 34 which rest In this way the apron or belt 29 is resiliently and snugly held upward against the bottom of the hopper 10 so that-material cannot escape through the opening or openings 11 except by passing through the openings 35 in the cover plates 34 and into the containers.

As the containers 12 pass beneath the hopper 10 the interiors therein are in communication, by the openings in the tops. mad

in the belt 29, with the interior of the hopper- 10,so that upon movement they come oppo site the end of the opening 11, the material from the hopper begins to pass into the containers from the hopper and continues to do so as the container is passed along beneath the hopper until the same is preferably completely filled. If it should be found that the containers are not entirely filled or the material therein is not compacted to the desired extent, the hand wheel 55 may be turned, relative to the shaft 48, to bring the blades 46 more nearly into the position shown in Fig. 1 in which the maximum thrusting or forcing effect is secured, 'or if it should be found that the material is being unduly compacted in the containers and too great a force or pressure is being exerted, the hand wheel may be turned in the opposite direction and in this way the desirable forcing or thrusting effect, suitable to the material and to other conditions, may readily be obtained.

It will be seen that there is substantially no limit to the speed at which a machine embodying and operated in accordance with my invention may be run, as the filling operation is being carried on continuously as the containers pass under the hopper, and the opening or openings therein may be of any desired length so that any desired interval which may be required for completely filling the containers during fast running of the machine, may readily be secured, and substantially the only limit to the speed of operation that is fixed, is the Speed-at which the containers can be placed within the spaces provided therefor in the container- ;ca-rrying belt 14, and inasmuch as the pressure means can be adjusted to secure any desired degree of filling or compacting of the material, it becomes unnecessary to resort to complicated weighing and measuring devices, the containers which can readily be obtained of uniform character themselves serving efiiciently in connection with the continuous exposure of the open ends there-' of to the interior of the hopper and the pressure or forcing action of the blades 46 to insure substantially uniform filling and content.

It is to be understood that the apparatus shown is only for the purpose of affording a clear understanding of my invention and that changes and modifications may be resorted to within the scope of my claims without departing from my invention or sacrificingits advantages.

I claim:

1. In a filling machine, a hopper for material in substantially powder form, said hopper being provided with an elongated opening in its bottom, a continuously and uninterruptedly moving conveyer for travelingcontainers along beneath the opening in the hopper, and a traveling belt serving as a moving bottom for the open portion of the hopper and having openings therein to receive the tops of the containers.

2. In a machine for introducing material into containers, a hopper having an elongated slot-like opening in its bottom, a belt traveling beneath the opening in the hopper and serving as a movable bottom therefor, said belt being provided with openings and means for uninterruptedly and continuously moving containers along with said belt with the filling openings thereof in register with the openings in the belt.

3. In a filling machine, a hopper having an elongated opening in the bottom thereof, a traveling belt serving as a movable bottom for the open portion of the hopper, and means for movably supporting containers with their filling openings in register with openings in the belt, and means for supporting said belt in contact with the hopper by pressure exerted through the intermediation of the containers.

4. In a filling machine, a hopper having an elongated opening in the bottom thereof, an apron running around the hopper and serving as a movable bottom of the open portion thereof, a conveyer moving in synchronism with the belt, and means on said conveyer for supporting containers with the filling openings thereof in register with openings in the belt, said belt and conveyer traveling uninterruptedly and continuously while the containers are being filled.

5. In a filling machine, a hopper having an elongated opening in its bottom, a moving belt forming a movable bottom for the open portion of the hopper and having openings therein, cover plates for containers in said openings, said cover plates being centrally apertured, a conveyer for traveling 95 containers and moving in synchronism with i said belt, resilient means for. supporting said conveyer in the region where it passes beneath the hopper, the containers in said conveyer serving to impart such supporting 100 action from the conveyer to the belt and to retain the belt in substantially close contact with the hopper bottom.

6. In a filling machine, a hopper freely open to the atmosphere, said hopper having 105 an opening therein, means for presenting containers with their filling openings in communicatiomthrough said opening, with the interior of the hopper, regulablepressure means in said hopper for causing ma- 110 terial to enter the containers so presented, and means for regulating the pressure exerted by said pressure means, said regu lating means being manually operable while the machine is in operation.

7. In a filling machine, a hopper having an opening in its bottom through which material may be passed into containers, a rotatable shaft in said hopper having a series of blades thereon, said shaft and its blades being located over said opening and means for changing the angle of said blades with respect to said shaft. I

8. In a filling machine, a hopper having an opening through which material may be passed into containers, a rotatable shaft therein, blades on said shaft, and means within the shaft for varying the angle between said blades and shaft.

9. In a filling machine, a hopper having an opening therein through which material may be passed into a container, a rotating shaft in said hopper, a blade on said shaft and axially rotatable with respect thereto, and means in said shaft for rotating said blade with respect to the shaft.

10. In a filling machine, a hopper having an opening therein through which material may be introduced into a container, a rotatable shaft therein, a blade mounted for rotation on said shaft, and interengaging means on said blade and within the shaft whereby the angle of said blade with respect to the shaft may be manually controlled.

11. In a filling machine, a container for material having a discharge opening, a shaft mounted for rotation at one side of said dischargeopening, a blade on said shaft and manually controlled means for varying the angle made between said blade and said shaft.

12. In a filling machine, a hopper having a longitudinally extending opening in its bottom, a shaft mounted for rotation substantially parallel to said opening and to one side thereof, a series of blades on said shaft and mounted for rotation on their own axes in said shaft, said blades being provided with gears, a worm within said shaft and coacting with said gears, and means whereby said Worm may be turned with respect to said shaft to vary the angle between said blades and said shaft.

18. In a filling machine, a receptacle having an elongated opening in its bottom, a shaft at one side of and substantially parallel to said opening, blades on said shaft, means for rotating said shaft in a direction to cause said blades to move toward said opening When passing thereover and means forvarying the angle of said blades with respect to the shaft.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I hereunto set my hand, this 21st day of November, 1917.

EARL I. YAHLE. 

